Are public charter schools more effective than traditional public schools? This book provides quantitative evidence to answer this question and considers a better way to undertake a policy of school choice.

• Supplies a unique evaluation of the school choice issue that is based, in part, on meta-analysis, an approach that allows social scientists to conclude which school choice policy would be the most productive and enables readers to easily grasp what the overall body of research indicates

• Fairly presents and considers the points raised both by advocates and opponents of school choice

• Examines the complex issue of school choice from a number of different perspectives, including a historical view, from the aspect of policymaking, and in terms of data analysis

• Considers the popular theory among social scientists that allowing private schools to become more involved in education could relieve the federal government of some of its financial burden from education